Page 55 of Challenged by the Single Dad

“Shit,” Bennett breathed, tugging the hood of his dark-green jacket over his head. “Could this come back on us?”

Dom wanted to say no. He wanted to say that he didn’t think Chloe was the type, but honestly, he had no clue. It very well could come back on them. Because his reasoning for going down to the pub last night was flimsy. He simply wanted to see her. What happened after that wasn’t part of his plan—because he’d had no fucking plan.

He just really wanted to see her again. So he called Wyatt and asked him to come sit with Silas so that Dom could go back to the pub. That was it.

The drizzle had faded to a light mist by the time they reached the pub.

“So, like … are you guys together now?” Clint asked. “How does this work? Because last I heard, you wanted her gone. What the hell changed?”

“I realized she’s not as bad as a lot of people out there.”

All four of them snorted.

Dom rolled his eyes again. “And she’s really good at her job. The staff like her. The customers like her.”

“And she’s a better fucking bartender than you are,” Wyatt added.

Dom slid his brother some side-eye.

Wyatt made a dismissive noise in his throat. “No sense denying it. We all know it’s true. Besides, the island is buzzing about her cocktails. It’s definitely helped bring in more business—which we need.”

“Be that as it may,” Dom went on, “we decided that it was a mistake and will not happen again.”

All four of his brothers laughed.

“Youbothdecided? Oryoudecided?” Jagger asked. “Because there’s a big difference. If it wasyou, we could be looking at a scorned woman, which isn’t good for business. She could sue. Or even worse—quit.”

Dom made a noise of irritation deep in the back of his throat.

“And I said it was a one-time thing with Brooke,” Clint reminded them. “And look how that turned out.”

Wyatt and Bennett nodded as well.

“Well, you three moved them into your house. That’s not happening here. She’s at the hostel and there she will stay. And besides the half hour or so where we overlap at the bar, I won’t need to see her. We can keep things professional.” He wanted to add that Chloe was the one who was persistent that they didn’t wind up without their clothes on again. She was the one who kept reminding them both that he was her boss.

“Who said it was a one-time thing?” Bennett asked, repeating the question from earlier. “Because if this does come back to bite us, we need to know.”

Dom let out a huff and hung his head. “She did.”

He couldn’t bring himself to look at any of his brothers, but he was sure he knew the faces of shock they were giving him. To be fair, he had a similar sentiment himself.

As much as he knew she was right, he couldn’t deny that he was disappointed—among a litany of other emotions—when she said they couldn’t make that mistake again.

All he wanted to do right now was make the mistake over and over and over again. In various positions and locations. The sound of her coming was forever burned into his brain like an earworm he knew he shouldn’t like, or want to hum along to, but did anyway.

Clint held open the door to the brewery for them all and they filed in, shaking the raindrops from their jackets and hoodies.

As per tradition, whenever they had a “business meeting” Clint poured them all a glass of his latest brew for a taste.

Once they each had a glass and were sitting on stools in the big, vaulted ceiling brewery warehouse with a concrete floor, and the scent of hops and industrial cleaner in the air, Bennett brought out his tablet and cleared his throat. “So, first order or business, the proposal for Bonn Remmen’s land.”

“I think all five of us should speak,” Wyatt said.

Dom disagreed. He was not a fan of public speaking, and even less so when there was so much pressure riding on what he had to say.

A wedding toast was bad enough, but a proposal for land? He absolutely would not be the reason they lost the property because he fumbled, stuttered, and “ummed” his way through his part of the speech.

“The look on your face says you disagree,” Clint said with a half-laugh.

---